Novels that have influenced me

One of the many memes going around Facebook these days is a reinvigorated “Top Ten Novels” list.  Several people have challenged me to list ten novels which have impacted my life in some way.  Obviously Lazarus, Covenant, Epiphany, and Birth of a Dark Nation impacted my life the most! However, here are ten other novels which also influenced me or changed my life in some way:

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The White Boy Shuffle by Paul Beatty. This is one of the most brilliant books I have ever read. Paul Beatty truly inspired me to take my writing seriously at a young age. He was a poet-turned-novelist, something like me, and his lyricism and vocabulary came together in ways I had never seen before.

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